Urgent symptoms

Topics to discuss

• vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds
• black, tarry stools or heavy rectal bleeding
• severe or sudden belly pain
• food stuck in the throat or being unable to swallow
• yellow skin or eyes with confusion or extreme sleepiness
• If any of these happen, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Choosing the next step

Use the warning signs above to decide when emergency help is needed. This page cannot check your symptoms or tell you that it is safe to wait. If symptoms are severe, sudden, or getting worse quickly, seek urgent medical help. A routine appointment request is not an emergency service, and a message may not be read right away.

For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint, confused, or unable to travel safely. If possible, have someone stay with you while help arrives. Bring your medicine list and allergy information if they are easy to reach, but do not delay emergency care to collect records.

Sources

• GERD — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Constipation — NIDDK (NIH)
• Hemorrhoids — NIDDK (NIH)
• Fatty liver disease (NAFLD and NASH) — NIDDK (NIH)
• Liver Function Tests — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Hemorrhoids: symptoms and when to seek help — NIDDK (NIH)